Lessons to learn from Terrell Owens

Yesterday, Terrell Owens hosted a private workout in Calabasas, CA, for NFL teams to attend. Except none of them did. Only the NFL Network showed up, you know, because they don’t have much else to cover on a Tuesday.

I wonder how awkward they felt. What do you say to T.O.? So Terrell, why do you think no teams showed up? Who did you think was going to show – don’t the Raiders need a wideout? Are you over-the-hill? Could you estimate your 40 time since you are not actually going to run it?

It was a strong message that no teams in the NFL have a need for an aging wideout who has a notorious rep for being a locker room nuisance. It doesn’t help your resume when the team who chose not to bring you back already has more wins by Week 6 this year than they did all of last year.

Wouldn't you want to watch this?

I am a firm believer that the combination of T.O. and Chad OchoCinco at wide receiver is what caused Carson Palmer to retire. Palmer had played on some pretty awful Bengals teams in his career, so you can’t say that he just had enough with the losing. You can’t say that he was underpaid. And I haven’t heard anything about him being really good on the driving range.

Imagine having to deal with OchoCinco and T.O. for 17 straight weeks. The two biggest primadonnas in football both demanding at least 15 targets a game on a team whose strength was a power running game with Cedric Benson. I would have been taking migraine pills by Week 3 if I were Palmer.

Not surprisingly, the Bengals, a 10-6 playoff team the year before, slipped back into irrelevancy with an abysmal 4-12 record.

But look what a little cleaning house has done this season. No T.O., no Ocho, no Palmer, and the 4-2 Bengals are all of a sudden a playoff contender again behind rookie QB Andy Dalton, rookie WR A.J. Green and a smothering defense that actually gets a few breathers from time to time with the offense not continuously going three-and-out trying to get the ball to T.O. and OchoCinco.

A few things to learn from T.O.’s plight:

1. Don’t Burn Your Bridges

T.O. hasn’t been the best at keeping friends in the league. In fact, you can immediately cut the list of teams he could actually sign with. 49ers? Nope. Eagles? Hell nope. Bengals? Obviously not. Patriots? They already got OchoCinco, so they’re good on malcontents. Cowboys? That’s not his team, man. The list could go on, and then you factor in team needs and cap space, and you have no teams currently with a need for him.

2. Don’t Throw a Party Unless People Are Going to Show Up

You have been at the party where there wasn’t exactly a group of A-listers and the rooms were kind of empty. The host feels the pressure to explain why there is a lack of attendees. Well, Billy said he was going to show but he just got a flat tire, and on and on and on. T.O. had to make the same kind of excuses, and it doesn’t help his public image at all. Now if a team does sign him, the fans are going to wonder “Why did we just sign a guy who couldn’t get a single NFL scout to his workout?”

There’s certain people who can throw parties and certain people who can’t. Among those who can: LMFAO. Harold and Kumar. Miley Cyrus even. T.O., apparently not.

3. Go to Them, Don’t Make Them Come to You

I know it’s a little bit of a different ballgame with the NFL, but the economy still sucks. Jobs are at a premium. So why not show a little initiative and actually go to to the teams you would like to play for and work out where it’s convenient for them? Would you tell a CEO of a company that you were interviewing for to show up at your house to conduct the interview, and oh yeah, you were to going to wear your pajamas? Not if you actually wanted that job. My guess is that a potential employer might have been at least a little impressed if Owens had made this small gesture.

I don’t feel sorry for Owens, but I am intrigued to see how this situation shapes out. If he actually signs with an NFL team this year, I will eat my words and write an apologetic post. But I don’t anticipate that happening.

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